Fine lines and wrinkles often start to appear in your late 20s, becoming more prominent in your 30s, 40s and 50s.
While many people want to target wrinkles in the pursuit of youth, there could be more effective ways to shave years off your appearance, according to a doctor.
In fact, “looking 10 years younger has almost nothing to do with wrinkles,” founder and medical director of SkinLUX MD, Jessica Yu, MD, told GB News.
She added: “I know that’s not what you’d expect to hear, but hear me out. The skin texture and uneven skin tone are the two things that age a face the quickest.
A loss of volume and dullness can make skin look older
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“Rough, dull skin scatters light instead of reflecting it, and that flat matte appearance is what the brain registers as ‘aged’.”
Keeping skin hydrated and exfoliating regularly are great ways to brighten your complexion and improve skin texture. If you don’t know where to start with this, vitamin C is often hailed as one of the top brightening ingredients to look for in skin care.
In a randomised, split-face controlled trial published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, researchers gave participants a serum containing vitamin C, vitamin E and raspberry leaf extract and compared it with the untreated side of the face.
After four and eight weeks, researchers found significant improvements in skin radiance, skin colour, smoothness and elasticity, as well as reductions in scaliness and wrinkles.
Another way to get these results is with non-surgical treatments, such as microneedling or chemical peels.
Dr Yu said: “Treating the skin texture through procedures like microneedling or chemical peels stimulates collagen remodelling. These treatments result in patients having an ‘I’ve just been to the spa’ look after about six weeks, well before anyone can pinpoint why.
“I once had a patient in her 40s who came to my clinic looking tired, and at the end of treatment courses looked as if she had 10 hours of sleep every night for a month.”
Another way you can look more youthful that has nothing to do with fighting wrinkles is by focusing on plumpness. Face volume naturally decreases over the years, which can cause sagging, making it a big giveaway of age.
Vitamin C can help brighten dull, tired skin | GETTY
Dr Yu said: “The second tip is about volume, not sagging. The amount of facial fat decreases by about 10 to 15 per cent every 10 years from age 30 to 50, which is what causes the appearance of hollowness under the eyes, flattening of the cheeks and deepening of the nasolabial folds.
“I believe that most people are treating the symptom (the loose skin) and not the cause, which is underneath it.
“Recovering that lost volume with hyaluronic acid fillers or radiofrequency tightening provides an automatic lift to the skin above it, and the face looks younger without surgery.”